Put down the instant pudding mix. This creamy and flavorful Homemade Vanilla Pudding couldn’t be easier or more delicious! Serve this pudding on its own or with cookies, berries or whipped cream. VIDEO below.
It’s time homemade pudding gets the attention it deserves. Pudding has to be the most underrated dessert ever. It’s not as fancy or decadent as a pot de crème, mousse, or crème brûlée. It’s comforting, nostalgic, and uncomplicated, and that’s what I love about it!
If you have only ever had boxed/store-bought pudding, you are missing out. Yes, this takes a little more effort than peeling back the foil on a plastic cup, but once you taste this, you will never go back to that stuff again. You probably have most (or all?) of these ingredients in your kitchen right now. Check out how easy it is.
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Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- Milk: Whole milk is the base of the pudding. Feel free to swap up to ½ cup milk for half-and-half for a richer pudding.
- Sugar: Regular granulated sugar sweetens the pudding. Nothing fancy here!
- Thickener: Egg yolks and cornstarch thicken up the pudding. It will thicken as it cooks on the stovetop, and it will continue to thicken as it cools in the fridge.
- Vanilla extract: This is what makes our pudding taste like vanilla. Use the best extract you can get – its flavor is coming through in every bite.
- Butter: Just a touch of butter is whisked into the hot pudding. This adds a touch of richness that takes this pudding over the top. Don’t skip it!
The pudding ingredients get whisked together and cooked on the stovetop for about 10 minutes. Then strain it and place it in the fridge to chill. Easy peasy!
One of the fabulous things about homemade pudding is its versatility. You can serve it on its own, or you can pair it with berries, whipped cream, cookies, or sliced bananas. It’s great layered in a trifle, or topped with fruit sauce. Note: you can also just place a huge bowl of pudding in your fridge and steal a bite (or two) every time you open the fridge door. ← Not a bad idea.
This is a classic, comforting dessert that I come back to time and time again – and I hope you will too!
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Recipe
Easy Homemade Vanilla Pudding
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2-¼ cups whole milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1-½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, milk, and egg yolks. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally (every minute or two), until the mixture is bubbling all throughout (this took 7-8 minutes for mine). Once bubbling, continue cooking for one to two additional minutes, whisking once or twice, but not too vigorously (this can break down the binding properties). At this point the pudding should be thickened but still pourable, it will thicken more as it cools.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter and vanilla extract. OPTIONAL, to remove lumps: Place a fine mesh strainer over a large heatproof bowl. Pour the mixture through the strainer and into the bowl. Skip this step if you don't notice any lumps in your pudding.
- Transfer the pudding into a large bowl or into individual serving bowls. Cool until it is lukewarm, then cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or until chilled.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
janice
I made this pudding for cream puff filling and it was absolutely delicious!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by.
Cliff
This pudding was great and so easy to make since our family stays away from sugar now I used one quarter cup of honey instead of the sugar. This pudding never makes it to the refrigerator our family loves it warm we add coconut flakes to it.
Felicity
I don’t understand what has gone wrong, but there is nothing thick about my frosting! It just looks like milk with half melted butter in :\
Allison
This is not frosting. It is pudding/custard.
Barbie
Is much tastier than the box!! Love it and easy directions!!
Allison
Thanks!
Beatrice Wright
Made it today. First time I made vanilla pudding from scratch for my banana pudding. Took it to a meeting. Everyone loved it!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
SusieQ
I am making a banana pie with cream cheese and pudding. I decided to use your scratch pudding recipe verses a box. I am so glad I did! It came out perfect! It was so easy! I will never use a box again. Thank you ever so much for sharing.
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Nicolette
I need to make this x 4 (for a big party with lots of kids). Should I make it one batch at a time? Looking at multiplying ingredients seems like things could go wrong fast!
Allison
Hi! I’d make several batches. If the pan is too full and it doesn’t thicken properly it won’t set up.
Marion M.
Thank you for this simple yet amazing recipe….I had to make 6 times the amount for a party, but it was so simple and quick…loaded it into little vessels for banana pudding and it’s gone! There is no reason to ever open a packet of pudding…this was old time comfort in a matter of minutes..Thank you!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Sandra
This was easy and turned out perfect. I never knew it was so easy and will never go back to the store bought box.
Allison
Yay! I’m so glad. 🙂
Adey
Perhaps the pudding would smooth out better if the egg yolks were tempered into the hot cornstarch/milk/sugar mixture rather than being mixed in directly with cold ingredients — which wouldn’t require dirtying up a large-meshed sieve to get out the curdles. I also found that 1/3 C sugar made the pudding too sweet.
Caryn
We made this for a trifle for dessert today (I forgot the instant mix at the store yesterday). I was initially concerned with the directions – no slurry? – and with the yolks seeming to firm up early in the cooking process. It looked like they were curdling at about 2 minutes in. However, I decided to follow the instructions as precisely as possible (instead of overreacting and whisking them more), and it corrected itself. The pudding turned out delicious. Creamy, mostly smooth, no yolk bits, and while it was a little lumpy at the end, it’s perfect for the trifle. Definitely better than the instant mix – and pretty easy! I will use again. Thank you!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.